A day to myself....

A day to my self...Whats a girl to do???
I had a sudden unexpected day to myself recently.
With everyone out the door what to do?
Workout? Shop? Clean that (those) closets out? Organize...Attack the mountains of laundry?Take a nap?
Next thing I know the phones ringing and I'm at the Y.
Walking and talking.
Next run home for a quick shower, and then back to town for lunch with some girlfriends.
As you know, Eatting with good friends is something I love !
I literally left one shop and headed to another for coffee and more visiting with friends.
And that was my day !
Quite different than the usual homeschooling, running kids to band, laundry,cleaning,work-out, go to work day...

HoMe SpUn FriEnDs

My very Favorite !


Hard work in a jar !

Summer goodness

"Roberto"

A chicken that once adorned

my grandmas farm wall

I am a cottage/country gal at heart.

I love puttin my apron on and whippin up a banana bread or having a soup simmering on the stove. I really like how cozy it makes the house smells.

I love cozy little lamps all through out the nooks and crannies making it more cozy.

I love mixed up plaids and flowers.

I love chickens and roosters ( even had real ones once...cute running around, but a farmer I am not. lol)

I LoVe, LOvE canning ! Especially when after all the hard work you have all these beautiful jars lined up lookin so good!

I love that when its cold and snowy and you forgot to get the tomatos for the chili ...Lo and behold in the pantry is a jar of fresh canned summer sun kissed tomoatos ! Yum!

I was so BLESSED today with all these goodies from a homespun friend.

Not only tomatos, but sweet relish, salsa, bread and butter pickles. Jams, wild plum and peach.

and my very favorite chokecherry syrup, oh my! Good thing I am the only one who likes

it or else I would be hiding it !

A taste of summer to cozy up this cold winter day.

Project 52

Realizing how fast time goes by, how much time we spend doing this or that for our kids.... we realized how we needed to spend more "couple time" so this is our concentrated attempt at doing just that.

52 dates this year. 1 each week.

We have went out for breakfast; leaving the kids to fend for themselves. They loved it, and so did we!

We recently had a cheese and wine tasting. After the kids were in bed we opened a bottle of white merlot, sliced the cheeses. We also had some grapes.
I love cheese, however tend to buy the same old ones again and again. Mostly because who knows what some of these funny named cheeses will taste like.
We tried a blue, a delightul champagne parmesean, Gorgonzola, soft swiss, cranberry chipolte and a port.
We had so much fun laughing and talking. We found that we now know to not order anything with gorgonzola in it. Not a favorite. However, the champagne parmesean was great. Surprisingly, I liked the cranberry chipolte better than he did.
We definetly agreed "dating" is something we like to do and worth it to take the time each week.
We hope to go biking and play cribbage and out to a new resturant in a nearby town....just spending time together connecting.
How about you, what kind of dates do you have with your honey?

Good God, Good Food, Good Friends

Good afternoon dear reader,

Today in Minnesota is a rather greyish day. Cold, not by Minnesota standards, but none the less no sunshine.

Quite frankly its the type of day to stay in your pjs, curl up by the fireplace( if you had one) and sip hot coffee with lots of cream and nibble away on lemon cookies. All the while reading a good book. I'm thinking Mitford....

I did not "feel" up to having a house full of ladies and all that entails...but alas, that is just what I did.

I heard Sally in my head- " They aren't coming to see your house. They are coming to see you".

"You don't have to cook a feast, a cracker will do" " It's about the fellowship..."

I am here to tell you it's all true!

Those who love you, well really they don't care that you haven't dusted since who knows how long, or that the childrens things are in disarray. I know I don't think twice about those things when I'm with a loved one. However, we put it on ourselves so often to have "everything just so" that we miss the opportunity to be part of each others lives; if even for a brief time.

So I put a chili in the crockpot, made some good cheesy bread and threw a pie in the oven. We feasted, and giggled and cried.....Oh how good it was to live life with some fellow sojurners on the path of life.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread. There is something comforting about a Banana bread isn't there?
I love banana bread, however did not always care to make it. It always seemed too dark on top, or had a raw part at the bottom. the loaves were small and thin. Not the big thick slices likc you get at a sweet shop. Well not anymore. Ever since 2006 when my dear friend Beth was here and cooked up a storm I have been making awesome banana bread !
It's golden brown and makes a big beautiful loaf. The slices are tall and sturdy. Not a raw lumpy spot to be found.
I make it plain, but my fancy friend Lisa likes to jazz hers up with chopped marashino cherries and chocolate chips.
Nanny Higgins Banana Bread courtesy of Beth Zinn ( Nanny Higgins is her grandma) What do you think ,do you still call it Nanny Higgins or is it Beths recipe or even mine now..? How does that work with recipes ? Is there a time when we can claim a recipe? Say after making it 10 or even 50 times ? I don't always feel compelled to go on and on that I got this or that recipe from this or that cookbook when someone says that they like it.. Do you?
Anyhow if you don't have a superb recipe that gives you bake shop slices this one is for you.

Banana Bread
1/2 c. butter
1c. sugar
2 eggs
3 bananas
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
2 c. flour

cream butter, sugar, eggs, add dry ingredients then after creamed add the bananas.
pour into greased loaf pan
Bake 375 ~ 60-90 minutes
LOVE IT !

Margin or Margarine

Do you allow yourself enough margin in your life ?
I was watching JM this am, and she was expounding on the need for margin in our lives. I am learning how to do this. By necessity I have been organized - homeschooling, working etc...
However, I do so much better when I don't just rush from one thing to the other...Sometimes I pride myself in being so efficient. Getting all that I think needs to be done, done. But most often it just gets in the way and I end up feeling frazzled. I read a line in a delightful book called "Simple Country Wisdom" " An efficient home is one that runs smoothly and doesn't get in the way of the people who live there".
Anyways back to margin... JM was going on and on how she needs margin, how she is addicted to margin, how she loves margin, has to have it everyday in her life...Sara turns and looks at me " is she talking about butter"?
So margin or margarine or even butter...Its all good !

Soup

I have a delightful soup simmering away on the stove. The house smells wonderful! I love soup for so many reasons. It's a sneaky way to get lots of good things in that perhaps would be noticed otherwise ( not just for the kids either). Once you get it all together its easy to just let it simmer away, or put it in the crockpot and forget it. It's usually low calorie, but yet I feel full. There are all kinds of wonderful ones to make too. Not just chicken noodle or vegetable. My mom used to make the BEST bean soup. Love it ! Another one I just love is chicken wild rice. My S-I-L makes a good one, as well as my friend Ang. She thinks nothing of just whipping up gallons at a time.
I would normally wax the wonders of brownies or scones or some other sugar laden confection, but alas, I am abstaining from sugar for the time being. I have found I feel soooooooooo much better without it. So this has given me time to reflect on just how something like soup or yougurt with kashi and banana can really satisfy and sustain. Of course I am learning patience, discipline and contentment too. God really is so good!
Whats your favorite soup friend?

It may be cold outside...

It may be cold outside... -34 F this am, but we've got sunshine!
I can take the cold and snow; thankfully so since I live in Minnesota. However I do need sunshine :) Lots of it too!
If the day is sunny, or even partly sunny I am able to get so much more done and just in general feel so much better.
Yesterday we took some time to review the year past, our goals that we met, and set some new goals for the new year. I do, we all do, better with things written down.
Sara is already up and at em'. She does great with something to shoot for.
She presented me with the cutest little card last noc - a coupon for "girl time"
We will do some quilting ( we are very new @ this) and IF it warms up, maybe hit our favorite store(GWI). We find so many unexpected and perhaps not really needed, but fun stuff.
Blessings

Are you staying up to watch the ball drop?

Excitedly my precious one asks her grandma, are you staying up to watch the ball drop? The excitement this event holds. Its' been a year of growing closer to God, thats for sure.
Here we are 2010 !
What new and wonderful things await us this year?
Father God, We are so thankful for your mercy and goodness. I pray this new year and decade will be one of prosperity for my family and friends. Spritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, financially. Thank you in Jesus name AMEN!

Beef Bourguignon

If you've seen Julie & Julia you know just what I am up to!
On the last day of school, we were invited over to a dear friends home for a party... games and sledding for the kids and Julie & Julia for us ladies. Oh my did I have a fabulous time! Of course we ate a wonderful Beef Bourguignon and chatted away at just how big God is and how much grace and mercy He extends daily. (Is there anything better than fellowshipping with dear friends over wonderful food ?!) Then came the movie. Oh, how we laughed...It's true you know about butter...It really does make EVERYTHING taste better !! So alas, I think I am a fairly good cook, and I've been just crazy to try Julias recipe..... Reality is... I don't have that much time and I am not that good of a cook. So off to the market for a package of stew mix. It's simmering now. The house smells delightful, and no one will know its not Julias. I will just serve extra butter with the bread!